This coming weekend, the “undead” will roam through Union City and the streets will run red – with plush carpeting.
On Friday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m., Union City will host its first-ever world premiere film release at Summit Theatre when MeLu Films presents “Vampire in Union City,” a film shot entirely on location in Union City.
With bright lights, classic cars, and velvet ropes lining Summit Avenue, Union City will for one night be transformed into the cultural mecca that artists in the area are hoping it will become for good.
Community project
Directed by multimedia artist and Union City Commissioner Lucio Fernandez, and written by city historian Gerard Karabin, “Vampire in Union City” was from the beginning created with hometown intentions.
It stars various prominent artists from Union City and throughout Hudson County, including Union City Art Curator Amado Mora, Freeholder Jose Muñoz, violinist Eric Grossman, the TapOlé Dance Company, Jay Gonzalez “The Actor of Poetry,” and Rosalia Castro, a flamenco dancer from Grace Theatre Workshop.
Many of the backdrops to the scenes in the film will appear familiar to local residents such as St. John’s Episcopal Church, Las Brisas Café, and the reservoir on 22nd Street.
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“It was such a great experience, everyone working together,” said Fernandez. “One of the highlights of my career.”
Undead in UC
A 48-minute long independent art film, “Vampire in Union City” is based on the notion that it’s lonelier in the big city than a small town.
Touching on the classic gothic horror tale of vampire myth, the movie follows the quest of a demented man obsessed with death and the living dead as he roams Union City.
His loneliness leads him to complete insanity and desperation, and he believes he has found his true calling as a creature of the night – until he eventually meets up with a real vampire to find that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Though technically of the horror genre, the film has no gore or violence.
“It’s done in good taste,” said Fernandez.
Karabin said it was important to take a different angle on the film because of how overdone things are in the horror genre, especially vampires.
“We took a more surreal look at it,” said Karabin. “Some of the scenes were written just for the visual.”
On location
“When you don’t have millions of dollars, you have to be as creative as possible,” said Fernandez.
Part of that creativity was driving around scouting out hometown locations where scenes could take place, as opposed to building sets.
Many of the backdrops to the scenes in the film will appear familiar to local residents such as St. John’s Episcopal Church, Las Brisas Café, and the reservoir on 22nd Street.
The vampire’s “lair” is actually the Department of Public Works building.
Only one location was shot outside of Union City, a cemetery scene that was set up and filmed on a property in North Bergen in order to avoid disturbing a real cemetery.
But shooting on location wasn’t without its quirks.
One day after wrapping up a scene at Diaz Grocery on 45th and Hudson, the police showed up, responding to a call from someone in the area that Commissioner Fernandez was getting beat up by two men.
It took a few minutes to convince the officers that all was well and that Fernandez and friends were merely playing out a scene for the camera.
A cultural hub
Many of the participants in film are part of a close-knit artist community within Union City that has been working to make the city a cultural center in the area.
“That’s the great thing about Union City –” said Karabin, “this great community of artists coming together.”
Both Fernandez and Karabin admitted that they hoped the success of “Vampire in Union City” would urge other filmmakers to consider the city as a place to work.
“It brings attention to the fact that Union City is an artistic place,” said Fernandez. “It would be great for more and more films to be shot here.”
Karabin added that there are great resources in the city, even for a major film production.
“I know there are a lot of other filmmakers in Union City,” he said. “I hope that by putting this out there they see that Union City is a great place to film.”
Where to see it
On Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., a free screening for general audiences will be held at the Union City Performing Arts Center, 2500 Kennedy Blvd., as part of Union City’s Celebrate Art Month.
For those unable to attend the free screening, the film will be available for purchase at www.FilmBaby.com and at www.MeLuFilms.com after Sept.10.
Cablevision will also air the film during the month of September on dates and times to be announced.
The film is also being submitted to several film festivals.
For more information, visit www.MeLuFilms.com.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.